Rising from the Ashes

An Introduction to Our Next Van of Valor Track

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Baghdad. 2004. The heat wave was relentless.

A Nissan crept toward the Green Zone, and something felt off. Platoon Sergeant Ocie Gay—”Wild Bunch” raised—slowed the pace, followed the rhythm, trusted the training. Then the world went silent. A thousand pounds of hell tore the sky apart.

Eighty souls lost. Ocie was tossed into the smoke and dust.

He woke from the black to the sound of families weeping. Traumatic brain injury. The invisible scar. Twenty years later, he still wonders who he is sometimes. But a voice in the rubble—clear and true—said something that changed everything:

“Get up, soldier. You got work to do.”

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Today, that same man rocks a chaplain’s cross. Different steel. Same fight. He walks into the V.A. weekly, downloads the pain, and tells other vets: “Have your moments. Shed a tear. But take your day back. Conquer the fear.”

He survived because of infantry discipline—a slow-walking rhythm that threw off the bomber’s timing. Saved lives in the palace. Made the unknown known. Now he’s guiding fallen warriors on solid ground, one step at a time.

From Natchitoches, Louisiana, to Summerville, to the Green Zone, to the front lines of healing—Ocie Gay stands for something bigger.

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🎵 Exclusive Van of Valor Music

Our next track is a battle cry and a benediction. For every soldier who fell. For every soldier who got back up. For every chaplain who carries the weight of brothers on his shoulders.

“From the ashes of Baghdad, a new mission found—guiding fallen warriors on solid ground.”

Coming soon—for those still rising.

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If you or a veteran you know is struggling, dial 988 then press 1. Or text 838255.

Get Up, Soldier

Yo, let ’em know…

Baghdad sand, two-thousand-four, the heat wave

A Nissan creepin’ to the Green Zone gave

A bad vibe, slowin’ down the pace, a new phase

Platoon Sergeant Ocie Gay, “Wild Bunch” raised

Checkpoint procedures, searchin’ slow and thorough

The rhythm was different, providin’ a miracle

They yelled to stop, the threat got brazen

Then the world went silent, a thunderous blazin’

A thousand pounds of hell tore the sky apart

The pressure, the fire, the shrapnel dart

Eighty souls lost, a terrible cost

In the smoke and the dust, a leader was tossed

GET UP, SOLDIER, from the ashes rise

See the pain in the mirror, through your own two eyes

With a Purple Heart bleedin’ and a spirit that’s torn

You carry the weight of the day you were reborn

GET UP, SOLDIER, the battle ain’t done

From the Green Zone blast to the rise of the sun

Now you’re fightin’ for your brothers on a different front line

With faith as your weapon, say “this burden is mine”

Wakin’ from the black, hear the families weepin’

The vision of the flames, a permanent searin’

Traumatic brain, the invisible scar

Twenty years later, you still wonder who you are

But a voice in the rubble, clear and true

Said “Get up, soldier, you got work to do”

Now he rocks the chaplain’s cross, a different kind of steel

Dealin’ with his own P.T.S.D., showin’ wounds are real

Weekly at the V.A., he downloads the pain

Tellin’ vets, “Don’t let the darkness rule your brain”

“Have your moments, have your minutes, shed a tear”

“But take your day back, conquer the fear”

GET UP, SOLDIER, from the ashes rise

See the pain in the mirror, through your own two eyes

With a Purple Heart bleedin’ and a spirit that’s torn

You carry the weight of the day you were reborn

GET UP, SOLDIER, the battle ain’t done

From the Green Zone blast to the rise of the sun

Now you’re fightin’ for your brothers on a different front line

With faith as your weapon, say “this burden is mine”

Look back at the blast, the reason he survived

The slow-walkin’ rhythm, the discipline thrived

The bomber’s plan crumbled, the timing was thrown

Saved lives in the palace, made the unknown known

That professionalism, that infantry pride

That’s the reason “The Wild Bunch” are still standin’ side-by-side

From Natchitoches Louisiana, to a Summerville call

He’s part of somethin’ bigger, standin’ tall for all

GET UP, SOLDIER, from the ashes rise

See the pain in the mirror, through your own two eyes

With a Purple Heart bleedin’ and a spirit that’s torn

You carry the weight of the day you were reborn

GET UP, SOLDIER,  the battle ain’t done

From the Green Zone blast to the rise of the sun

Now you’re fightin’ for your brothers on a different front line

With faith as your weapon, say “this burden is mine”

Yeah…

From the ashes of Baghdad, a new mission found

Guidin’ fallen warriors on solid ground

One step at a time…

Ocie Gay… Chaplain…

GET UP, SOLDIER!

GET UP, SOLDIER!

GET UP, SOLDIER!